Religious preference

Major Faiths and Denominations 1981

Baptist

Catholic

Methodist

Jewish E. Orthodox

Other

None

Denomination undeslgnated

Other Protestant denominations

Lutheran

Presbyterian Episcopalian Mormon

PROTESTANTS

Based on national surveys and approximately 29,000 interviews

The immigrants who first came to America from countries all over the world brought a variety of religions. Many came with the express purpose of estab­lishing communities where they could practice their own form of worship without interference or fear of persecution.

Although the official separation of Church and State provided a climate for these diverse religious practices to flourish, Protestantism, because of numbers and influence, has until recent decades occupied a dominant position in American society.

First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

RELIGION 211

PURITANS

MAINSTREAM PROTESTANTISM

CATHOLICS

JEWS

CHANGES IN THE

RELIGIOUS

LANDSCAPE

The first settlers of Massachusetts were members of a radical Protestant group called Puritans. Puritans thought of themselves as God's chosen people. They believed that God had elected, or "predestined," only certain persons to be saved. Devoting themselves to work as a way of pleasing God, they viewed their prosperity as an outward sign that God counted them among the saved. Many people trace the American drive for success through hard work to this Puritan, or Protestant, work ethic.

Among the immigrants to America were Protestants of many denominations from all over Europe, including Presbyterians from Northern Ireland, Lutherans from Scandinavia and Germany, Episcopals from England, and members of various European Reformed Churches.

Along with the Congregationalist Church, which is the denomination estab­lished by the early Puritans, the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal, and Re­formed churches constitute what is referred to as "mainstream Protestantism" in America. Baptists and Methodists, once peripheral sects, are now usually considered part of mainstream Protestantism as well.

Other Protestant denominations, such as Mennonites, Pentecostals, and Southern Baptists, are sometimes referred to as "radical" Protestants. Worship services of radical churches are less formal and liturgical than services of main­stream Protestants. Many radical churches encourage "speaking in tongues," faith healing, and "born-again" conversion experiences. Mainstream churches tend to be middle or upper class, while radical churches usually consist of lower-income groups.

In 1985, 57 percent of the population named Protestantism as their religious preference.

Catholics constitute the second largest religious group. In 1985, 28 percent of Americans surveyed identified themselves as Catholic.

The first Catholics in America were missionaries from Spain, Portugal, and France. In the sixteenth century they set up churches in what is now Texas, New Mexico, California, and Florida. In the seventeenth century Catholics from England settled the colony of Maryland. But the greatest influx of Catholics to America occurred in the nineteenth century. Catholics emigrated to the United States from Ireland, Germany, and France between 1830 and 1880 and from eastern and southern Europe during the 1880s. During the nineteenth and into the twentieth century, American society, however, was predominantly white Protestant. White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) set the basic character of national life and were often intolerant of Catholics.

Jews constitute 2 percent of the population. Many Jews came to America during the nineteenth century to escape persecution in Europe. Like the Catholics, Jews frequently encountered hostility and resentment.

Since the 1960s, America's religious landscape has undergone major trans­formations, the most significant being the declining influence of the mainline Protestant churches. They have suffered sizable membership losses, such that the Protestant majority in America decreased from 67 percent of the population to 57 percent in 1985.

Puritan: see page 13.

Speaking in tongues: prayer characterized chiefly by incomprehensible speech practiced in ecstatic forms of worship.

WASP: see page 13.

212 AMERICA IN CLOSE-UP

PROTESTANT DECLINE

LIBERAL VS.

CONSERVATIVE

CHURCHES

TRENDS IN THE

CATHOLIC

COMMUNITY

INCREASING PLURALISM

Many observers link the decline of the major Protestant churches in America to the permissiveness of the 1960s. Mainline churches have tended to be liberal in social outlook and theology. In contrast to more radical churches, mainstream Protestant churches have not insisted on strict obedience to a particular code of behavior. During the liberal social climate of the 1960s, many mainstream members abandoned churchgoing altogether.

Today, however, there seems to be a growing desire for spiritual direction. An important pattern has emerged. While liberal Protestant churches have lost members, conservative fundamentalist Protestant churches have been steadily attracting members. In the late 1960s and 70s, strict, evangelical and funda­mentalist bodies such as the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Church of the Nazarene, Assemblies of God, and Southern Baptists grew at phenomenal rates. By drawing rigid behavioral boundaries, returning to traditional values, and offering absolutist moral teachings, these churches seemed to fill the needs of many Americans who were frustrated by the lack of direction in modern life.

To attract members, mainline Protestant churches have been shifting away from their relaxed, liberal stance towards a more conservative theology. Membership has begun to stabilize.

The Catholic community has experienced conflicts and developments of its own, as well as a similar shift to conservatism. American Catholics, though increasing in population, do not participate as actively in church activities as they once did. Between 1958 and 1982, the percentage of Catholics attending weekly mass declined sharply from 74 percent to 51 percent.

The American Catholic Church has also had to cope with widening differences with Pope John Paul II, whose conservative stance on issues such as birth control, celibacy for priests, and women in the priesthood provoke dissidence and disobedience. American bishops have been outspoken on political issues, challenging nuclear strategy and criticizing the presuppositions and policies of economic and political leaders.

In the past decades, America's Protestants, Catholics, and Jews have become less divided. The decline of mainstream Protestant influence has been accom­panied by the rise in status of Catholics and Jews. Anti-Catholicism and anti-Semitism are now mainly confined to radical right-wing groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the John Birch Society.

In the years after the Second World War, Catholics made spectacular gains in education and income, such that their overall status levels now equal those of Protestants. American Jews, once treated like outsiders, are now more readily accepted. Their acceptance has been facilitated by many immigrant Jews' willingness to discard those practices that made Judaism seem exotic. Intermarriage between Jews and Christians has also helped to create an atmos­phere of tolerance towards Jews. Between 40 and 50 percent of all Jews marry non-Jews.

A significant trend in American religious life is one towards increasing pluralism. Coexistence among America's diverse religious groups and sects is stressed. The trend towards pluralism has not only meant that Catholics and

Ku Klux Klan: a secret society organized in the South after the Civil War to re-establish white supremacy with methods of terrorism.

John Birch Society: an ultraconservative anti-Communist organization founded by Robert Welch in 1958.

RELIGION 213

SECTS AND CULTS

RISE OF THE

EVANGELICAL

MOVEMENT

POLITICAL ACTIVISM

Jews are gaining acceptance in American society. In addition, tolerance is extended to an even broader range of religious groups, including Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism.

While open religious prejudice is not as pronounced as it used to be, Americans show little tolerance towards some cults. The Moonies, the Hare Krishnas, and the followers of Bhagwan Rajneesh are commonly regarded as bizarre and potentially dangerous. Their methods of attracting and holding members are controversial. Critics accuse the cults of manipulating and brain­washing their members.

One event which intensified the controversy over cults was the 1978 mass suicide that occurred at a commune in Jonestown, Guyana. By persuasion and at gunpoint American cult leader Jim Jones led more than 900 members of his Peoples' Temple commune to commit suicide by drinking a mixture of fruit juice and cyanide.

Religious fanaticism exists, but events such as these are not characteristic of all cults. Many observers argue that not all sects should be condemned for the abuses of some.

Besides the increasing visibility of cults and sects, there has been another recent development in American religious life: the rise of the evangelical, or fundamentalist, movement, and its offspring, the electronic church. This movement has arisen so quickly and has acquired so much influence that it has drawn much national attention.

The term evangelical is applied across all Christian denominations to religious alliances that share the belief that a true Christian must have a born-again experience, that the Bible is the authoritative word of God, and that a personal relationship with Jesus is at the center of every Christian's life. Evangelicals also share a desire to convert others to their way of believing.

The evangelical movement, which has quietly existed for a long time, derived new momentum from the anti-modern, conservative countercurrents that were flowing in the 1960s. In the 1960s, while most churches were experiencing declining memberships, evangelical churches were gaining members and in­fluence. Representing the right-wing of the political spectrum, evangelicals attacked "secular humanism" and crusaded for moral issues, focusing attention on the family and schools.

These conservative Christian leaders did not limit their crusades to the pulpit; they gained immediate attention by their involvement in politics and their media skills. Despite the constitutional separation of religious and secular life, conservative fundamentalists actively lobbied for anti-abortion legislation and for a constitutional amendment permitting prayer in schools.

Fundamentalist minister Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority has been the most influential political lobby of the new Religious Right since the late 1970s. The Moral Majority's political agenda, based on moral absolutism, opposes homo­sexuality, pornography, abortion, and the teaching of evolution in schools. In 1986, Falwell merged his Moral Majority with the Liberty Alliance, a conserva­tive lobby group, to form Liberty Federation, a religious-political lobby with an even broader appeal.

In the 1980 presidential elections, the evangelical right gave Ronald Reagan and many conservative senators strong support. In the 1980s, evangelist leaders successfully extended their spheres of influence far beyond the church. Some, like T. V. evangelist Pat Robertson, who was a candidate for the 1988 presidential election, have crossed the boundary between religion and politics altogether.

214 AMERICA IN CLOSE-UP

THE ELECTRONIC CHURCH

What has enabled the evangelical movement to take off with such speed and gain a powerful sphere of influence in American society is its skillful use of television. Every Sunday morning, millions of Americans tune in to elaborate television broadcasts of popular preachers such as Jerry Falwell, Robert Schuller, Jimmy Swaggart, and Pat Robertson. With their show-biz flair, gospel enter­tainment, and sermons designed to tug at viewers' emotions, these preachers resemble commercial television show hosts more than ministers.

Religious broadcasting has exploded into a multi-million dollar business. More than 1,300 radio and television stations devote all their time to religion. Gospel programs that buy time are proliferating.

Religious Television Program Viewing by Selected Demographic Groups: 1983

VIEWERS

VIEWERS

GROUP

Con­firmed frequent

Other

Non-viewers

GROUP

Con­firmed frequent

«her

Non-viewers

5.3	34.6	60.2
11.9	44.6	43.5
27.7	43.7	28.6
32.8	46.0	21.2
16.1	41.2	42.7
19.3	43.6	37.1
16.3	40.8	42.9
26.3	53.5	20.1
16.1	34.4	49.4
19.9	50.9	29.2
29.2	45.5	25.3
16.9	44.1	39.0
11.8	39.6	48.6

42.9

Total: 18.0

Age

18-29 years old

30-49 years old

50-65 years old

Over 65 years old

Sex

Male

Female

Race

White

Non-White

Region

Northeast

Southeast

Education

Less than high school ..

High school graduate...

Some college and more

Household income:

Under $15,000 25.9

$15,000 to $24,999 17.4

$25,000 to $35,000 13.0

Over $35,000 9.3

Importance of religion:

Very important 25.3

Important 9.3

Not very important 1.4

Not important at all 2.5

Denomination:

Southern Baptist 21.8

Other Baptist 28.4

Lutheran 15.2

Methodist 18.4

Presbyterian 11.9

Catholic 8.4

Church attendance:

Once a week or more 22.8

Less than once a week 12.2

Local annual contributions:

None 9.7

Under$120 14.6

$120 to $300 16.9

$301 to over $1,200 23.7

45.5	28.6
46.6	36.1
39.0	48.0
36.7	54.1
49.0	25.8
39.2	51.5
17.5	81.1
12.3	85.2
55.4	22.8
50.3	21.3
42.0	42.9
48.4	33.2
45.9	42.3
31.4	60.2
47.6	29.6
37.0	50.8
25.7	64.6
42.0	43.4
43.8	39.3
43.3	27.0

¹ Includes other denominations, not shown separately.

The appeal of the so-called electronic church and its evangelical preachers to so many Americans is not just a matter of technique. They provide moral anchorage to many Americans by emphasizing the individual's personal responsibility and unswerving commitment. In a sophisticated modern world, when connections between life and faith seem vague, this is the message many people desire.

215

_{part в Texts}

Sunday in Hope

SUNDAY in Hope is a day very largely shaped by Christian faith and social convention. Hope is not a Sab­batarian town. It is, however, a church-going town, and for all but its two hundred-odd Roman Catholics, services usually begin with Sunday School (classes for both adults and children), at nine-thirty; followed by Morning Worship, at ten forty-five; followed by an after­noon Church Training Program; followed, at seven o'clock, by Evening Worship. Almost everybody in Hope — old or young, white or black — attends at least one of these services, and there are some who attend them all. I chose, on the second Sunday of my stay, to attend Morning Worship at the First Baptist Church.

The nave of the First Baptist Church seats six hundred and fifty people in comfortably cushioned pews, and there is room for over two hundred more in a balcony. When I arrived and was shown to a place, the nave looked almost full, and there were also people in the balcony. Most of the worshippers were families with one or more (well-behaved) children. It was a con­gregation of Sunday suits and Sunday bests. There were no turtlenecks, no pantsuits, not even, as far as I could tell, any sports jackets: all the men wore business suits, and all the women wore dresses. An organ and a piano flanked the pulpit, and there was a large choir. Dr. Richard Stiltner, the pastor, a youthful-looking man with an expressive face, wore a dark suit. After the opening prayer, we sang "O Worship the King," and after the Invocation and another prayer we sang "Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me." Dr. Stiltner's sermon was one of a series on the Ten Com­mandments. It was entitled "The Sanctity of

Life," and dealt with the Sixth Commandment. "This commandment is commonly taken to read, 'Thou shalt not kill,'" he said. "A more careful rendering of the Hebrew is 'Thou shalt not murder.' " He said that the Old Testament accepts the right of a soldier to take a human life in war, and it accepts the right of society to inflict the death penalty. We sang a final hymn, "Something for Thee," and received the Bene­diction. Dr. Stiltner waited in the vestibule to greet the departing congregation. I saw Hulan White, immaculate in a tan summer suit, and a dozen other familiar faces. And half an hour later, at the ritual Sunday dinner in the re­staurant at the Quality Inn, I recognized several of my fellow worshippers. Most of my fellow diners began their meal with the usual aperitif of the region — a cup of coffee.

Sabbaterian: strictly observing the Sabbath, in Christian churches the Sunday, as the day of rest.

216 AMERICA IN CLOSE-UP

^e _{I Have a Dream}

Martin Luther King (1929—1968), a Baptist minister, was the outstanding leader of the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. On August 28, 1963, he led the "March on Washington", which culminated in

the meeting of 200,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Commemorating the Emancipation Proclamation, King reminded his

audience in a carefully prepared speech that even 100 years after Abraham

Lincoln had declared the slaves free, the black people were far from being

free but found themselves segregated, discriminated against and